North Texas rolls 81-58, extending UTSA’s losing streak to 16 games

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North Cole Franklin. North Texas beat UTSA 81-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Cole Franklin (at right) scored 21 points on nine of 14 shooting Saturday to help the North Texas Mean Green snap a four-game losing streak. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The North Texas Mean Green entered the Convocation Center Saturday afternoon hoping to start digging themselves out of an 11th-place hole in the American Conference men’s basketball standings.

Buried even deeper, the UTSA Roadrunners just wanted to win a game, period.

North Texas succeeded in its mission, ripping off a 25-0 run that stretched from late in the first half to early in the second, on its way to an 81-58 victory.

As a result, the Mean Green extended the 13th (and last)-place Roadrunners’ program-record losing streak to 16 games.

Jamir Simpson. North Texas beat UTSA 81-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Roadrunners guard Jamir Simpson scored 17 points on seven of 16 shooting. – Photo by Joe Alexander

“Winning is hard,” first-year North Texas coach Daniyal Robinson said. “Any time you get an opportunity to get a win, you got to celebrate it. I’m really proud of our guys on how they bounced back from the heartbreaking, double-overtime loss at Rice.”

Rice defeated North Texas 86-83 in double overtime Wednesday night in Houston. After a slow start against UTSA, one of the lowest-rated teams in the nation, the Mean Green turned it on in the last 25 minutes.

“This means a lot,” said Robinson, who spent the last three seasons as head coach at Cleveland State. “It gives our guys a confidence boost going into next week.”

The North Texas backcourt duo of Cole Franklin and Je’Shawn Stevenson enjoyed big games in helping North Texas (13-11, 4-7) snap a four-game losing streak.

Playing with energy against the struggling Roadrunners (4-19, 0-11), Franklin produced 21 points and seven rebounds.

He hit nine of 14 shots from the field, including multiple layups off UTSA turnovers.

Stevenson, who burned UTSA for 27 points in an 81-62 victory last month in Denton, scored only 10 but may have been just as much of a nuisance to the home team.

Not only did he disrupt UTSA’s offense with six steals, but he also passed for six assists and pulled down six rebounds.

Jamir Simpson scored 17 points to lead the Roadrunners, and Baboucarr Njie added 11.

Austin Claunch. North Texas beat UTSA 81-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch exhorts his team from the sideline against North Texas. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Austin Nunez was helped off the floor with 4:40 remaining in the game after he fell on a dunk attempt and hurt his knee. The preliminary prognosis is that Nunez escaped any structural damage.

In analyzing the game, Roadrunners coach Austin Claunch lamented what he called a “terrible” last two minutes of the first half and a “horrendous” effort in the second half.

“Embarrassing, the most embarrassed I’ve ever been,” Claunch said. “That’s unacceptable on my end. We got to be better Wednesday.”

In serious danger of getting left out of the conference tournament, the Roadrunners sit in last place in the American going into a Wednesday road game at East Carolina.

They trail the 10th-place Rice Owls now by five games in the loss column with seven remaining.

Only 10 teams in the American qualify for the tournament based on a new format installed before the season.

If there was a bright spot to emerge in the postgame analysis, it was that Nunez apparently escaped serious injury.

“It seems structurally, he’s OK, which is the most important thing,” Claunch said. “I think he got the wind knocked out of him, as well. With the knee injuries he’s had, it scared him a little bit more than anything. It looks like he’s going to be OK.

“Structurally, nothing serious, but we’ll double check on that tomorrow.”

Through the losing streak, Claunch has remained largely upbeat, especially after 10-points-or-less home losses to Temple and UAB on the last homestand.

But on Saturday afternoon, the coach couldn’t hide his disappointment at what happened in the second half, when the Mean Green outscored the Roadrunners 47-32.

“For the first time,” Claunch said, “we looked like a team that’s lost 16 games in a row. That’s what it looked like — for the first time. We played great basketball for three straight games. We played a pretty good first half (today).

“Obviously, I’m going to watch it. It’s not one person. It starts with the head coach (on) down. So, got to go watch it. Obviously we’ve got seven games (with) two on the road (next week).

“Got to watch this. Evaluate it, and see where we go.”

Austin Nunez. North Texas beat UTSA 81-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA guard Austin Nunez fell on a dunk attempt with four minutes left in the game, but Austin Claunch said he escaped any structural damage to his knee. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Records

North Texas 13-11, 4-7
UTSA 4-19, 0-11

Coming up

UTSA at East Carolina, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at Charlotte, Sunday, Feb. 15, 11 a.m.

Notable

Guard Cole Franklin, a junior from DeSoto, produced 11 points in the 25-0 run for North Texas.

The Mean Green scored 11 in a row at the end of the first half and another 14 straight at the start of the second.

Franklin, a Cleveland State transfer, capped the run with a tip-in that expanded the Mean Green’s lead to 48-26 with 17:18 remaining.

North Texas held a glaring statistical advantage in points scored off turnovers. The Mean Green forced 18 turnovers and capitalized to score 34 points. On the flip side, UTSA forced 13 turnovers but scored only seven points off them.

North Texas extended its lead in the all-time series against UTSA to 24-14. The Mean Green improved to 12-8 in San Antonio, including four straight victories.

UTSA’s last win at home against North Texas came on Jan. 9, 2021. In that game, UTSA won 77-69 behind guard Jhivvan Jackson’s 31 points.

Roadrunners freshman guard Dorian Hayes sat out his second consecutive game with an injury. Hayes was listed as questionable on the morning availability report and then came out of the dressing room in warmups.

Forward Baboucarr Njie was also listed as questionable, but he started and played.

First half

Trailing for almost 15 minutes in the half, North Texas stepped it up in the last five minutes with the 11-0 run for a 34-26 lead.

North coach Daniyal Robinson. North Texas beat UTSA 81-58 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

North Texas coach Daniyal Robinson said he is proud of his players for bouncing back after a double-overtime loss Wednesday in Houston against Rice. – Photo by Joe Alexander

First, the Mean Green forced an Austin Nunez turnover and advanced the ball the other way for a layup by Franklin.

Next, Je’Shawn Stevenson buried a three off the left wing. After UTSA’s Daniel Akitoby misfired on a couple of free throws, Franklin attacked again on a drive for two points.

He missed an ensuing free throw, but Dylan Arnett finished the play with a tip in. David Terrell Jr. completed the run for the Mean Green, hitting two free throws with 29.4 seconds remaining.

UTSA women bounce back with a 66-47 win at Tulsa

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Forward Idara Udo scored a season-high 18 points Saturday in her fourth game back in the lineup after sitting out six weeks with an injury, helping the UTSA Roadrunners women rebound from a seven-game swoon with a 66-47 road victory at Tulsa.

UTSA had dropped two in a row and five of its last seven games entering play against the Golden Hurricane, one of the contenders in the American Conference.

In response, Udo enjoyed her best offensive game of the year, hitting seven of 11 from the field and four of five at the free throw line. Forward Cheyenne Rowe also contributed, scoring 17 for her 15th game in double figures this season.

After yielding a season high in points Tuesday night in an 81-69 road loss to the UAB Blazers, the Roadrunners played one of their better defensive games of the year, holding the Golden Hurricane to 26 points below their average.

Mady Cartwright, Tulsa’s leading scorer at 15.6 per game, was limited to 11 points on four of 14 shooting. She made only one of eight on her 3-point attempts.

Records

UTSA 11-11, 6-5
Tulsa 16-7, 8-3

Coming up

Temple at UTSA, Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.

Double dip: UTSA men to host North Texas, while the women will challenge Tulsa on the road

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The UTSA Roadrunners men’s and women’s basketball teams will try to snap out of their respective slumps today. Here are the details on a pair of games in the American Conference, with the men hosting the North Texas Mean Green and the women paying a visit to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

Men’s game

North Texas (12-11, 3-7)
at
UTSA (4-18, 0-10)

When: Today at 1 p.m.
Where: The UTSA Convocation Center

North Texas

Coach: Daniyal Robinson, in his first season with the Mean Green.
Top players: Guard Je’Shawn Stevenson, forward Dylan Arnett, guard David Terrell Jr.
Recently: Lost four straight and six of the last eight.
Notable: North Texas defeated UTSA 81-62 on Jan. 21 in Denton. Stevenson knocked down seven 3-pointers. The Mean Green’s best win was a 72-67 decision at home over Tulsa in the second game of conference play.

UTSA

Coach: Austin Claunch, in his second season with the Roadrunners.
Top players: Guards Jamir Simpson, Austin Nunez and Brent Moss.
Recently: Lost 15 straight and 16 of the last 17.
Notable: Moss scored a career-high 32 points Wednesday in UTSA’s last outing, a 109-88 setback at South Florida. UTSA’s losing streak is a school record and is tied for second with Air Force for the longest active skid in NCAA Division I.

Women’s game

UTSA (10-11, 5-5)
at
Tulsa (16-6, 8-2)

When: Today at 2 p.m.
Where: The Reynolds Center in Tulsa.

UTSA

Coach: Karen Aston, in her fifth season with the Roadrunners.
Top players: Forward Cheyenne Rowe, guard Ereauna Hardaway, forward Idara Udo.
Recently: Lost two straight and five of the last seven.
Notable: UTSA’s recent slide comes after the defending conference champions started conference play at 3-0. The Roadrunners beat the North Texas Mean Green 66-64 at home on Jan. 28 but have since dropped games to the conference-leading Rice Owls 65-55 (at home) and to the last place UAB Blazers 81-69 (on the road).

Tulsa

Coach: Angie Nelp, in her fifth season with the Golden Hurricane.
Top players: Guard Mady Cartwright, forward Hannah Riddick, guard Jade Clack.
Recently: Won four straight and five of the last six.
Notable: Coach Angie Nelp is working on her fifth straight winning season with the Golden Hurricane. Two years ago, Tulsa tied with North Texas and Temple for the American’s regular-season title. This season, the Golden Hurricane notched a power conference victory over the Florida Gators in Gainesville.

South Florida wins 109-88 as UTSA loses its 15th straight

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Trailing by five points late in the first half and by two at intermission, the South Florida Bulls shot 68 percent the rest of the way and rolled to a 109-88 victory Wednesday night, dealing a 15th straight loss to the UTSA Roadrunners.

Brent Moss. UTSA basketball Rowdy Jam on Thursday, Oct. 16, 2025, at the Convocation Center. - photo by Joe Alexander

Brent Moss, shown here in a file photo from last fall, exploded Wednesday night for a season-high 32 points against South Florida. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Izaiyah Nelson scored 25 points on 11 of 14 shooting from the field, including multiple dunks, to lead the Bulls in front of their home crowd in Tampa, Fla.

South Florida entered tied for third place in the American Conference men’s basketball race, while UTSA came in as the last-place team.

But in a surprise, it didn’t turn into a runaway until deep in the second half, when the Roadrunners, down by double digits, started to gamble on defense.

Regardless, South Florida (15-8, 7-3) kept pace with the leaders in the American and sent last-place UTSA (4-18, 0-10) to its 16th loss in 17 games.

Junior college transfer Brent Moss scored a season-high 32 points to lead the Roadrunners. Moss, who played the last two seasons at Barton Community College in Kansas, finished 10 of 16 from the field. He also hit seven of nine from three.

In the second half, the Bulls did a good job on Moss, keeping him from attempting a shot from the field for 10 minutes. Down the stretch, Moss hit three of seven after South Florida had started to run away with it.

UTSA coach Austin Claunch said in his postgame radio interview with Andy Everett that he knew South Florida would make a run in the second half. But a 12-2 run in the first six minutes seemed to super-charge an already talented team.

From there, the Bulls went from a 69-59 lead to 83-68 in only four minutes. The Roadrunners responded with a push of their own, pulling to within 83-74 with 8:27 remaining on a Daniel Akitoby stick back.

But that was as close as they would get to a Bulls team that would eventually widen the lead to 24 points in the last 20 seconds.

“The way they play, and as well as they move it and shoot it, if you play 30 seconds of bad basketball, it can lead to a 7-0 run,” Claunch said. “They really do a good job. They had 25 assists. They have great shooters.”

Claunch said he still feels good about his team even though it hasn’t won a game since Nov. 25 and several key players are out for the season.

“Let’s go,” Claunch said in the postgame interview. “We got eight more (games left in the regular season). Wins are coming. We feel good about our (preparation) and our work with the guys we have in our locker room.”

Other positives for the Roadrunners included Jamir Simpson, who scored 24 points. As Simpson created his own shots off creative drives to the hoop, he knocked down eight of 15 from the field and finished with his eighth 20-point game of the season.

Akitoby also enjoyed a big night with 14 points and eight rebounds. South Florida defended well against two other UTSA threats, with Austin Nunez scoring seven points to go with six assists. Forward Baboucarr Njie went scoreless with two rebounds in 16 minutes.

Records

UTSA 4-18, 0-10
South Florida 15-8, 7-3

Coming up

North Texas at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Notable

Later Wednesday night, Trae Broadnax and Nick Anderson scored 22 points each as the Rice Owls held on at home to beat the North Texas Mean Green, 86-83, in double overtime.

Rice improved its record to 4-6 in the conference and to 10-13 overall. North Texas will come into San Antonio for Saturday’s game against UTSA with a record of 3-7 and 12-11.

Despite the program-record losing streak, the Roadrunners traveled to Florida with some momentum.

Last week, playing at home, they led the Temple Owls with four minutes remaining and ended up losing by six. They stayed with the UAB Blazers for 38 minutes before losing by 10.

UTSA’s Brent Moss and Jamir Simpson both attended high school in Lima, Ohio. Moss, who played on a national title team at Barton, is a native of the Bahamas.

Freshman guard Dorian Hayes and Baboucarr Njie were both listed as questionable in the pre-game player availability report.

Hayes didn’t play against South Florida, while Njie logged 16 minutes, missed all three of his shots from the field and pulled down only two rebounds.

Njie, another Ohio native, occasionally has emerged as one of the best players on the floor for UTSA.

Twice since Jan. 14 he has scored 20-plus points. The 6-5 forward recorded blocked shots in seven straight games before failing to get one against the Bulls.

First half

Moss erupted for 23 points on five of five shooting from 3-point distance, leading the Roadrunners to a 50-48 lead on the Bulls.

It was a surprising development for South Florida fans in Tampa, as UTSA came into the game on a 14-game losing streak and averaging only 68 points a game.

Tied for third place in the American, the Bulls initially didn’t have a defensive answer for the Roadrunners, who shot 62.1 percent from the field in the half.

Two UTSA players who played their high school ball in Lima, Ohio, sparked the Roadrunners.

Moss knocked down seven of nine from the field and five of five from three.

With three minutes left in the half, he scored his 20th point, which gave him a season-high. He buried his fifth three with 35 seconds left, lifting UTSA into a 50-45 lead.

Simpson, who has led the Roadrunners in scoring all season, brought an aggressive attitude to the floor. Driving and creating space with a large frame, the 6-6 Simpson hit five of nine shots for 14 points.

High-flying Nelson led the Bulls with 15 points. Point guard CJ Brown added 12.

Aiming to stop a 14-game skid, UTSA men play at South Florida

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Update: UTSA guard/forward Baboucarr Njie and guard Dorian Hayes are both questionable to play Wednesday night against South Florida, according to the player availability report.

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

UTSA Roadrunners men’s basketball will play in Tampa tonight against the high-scoring South Florida Bulls, hoping to put an end to a program-record 14-game losing streak.

The Roadrunners haven’t won a game since Nov. 25 in Jacksonville, Fla, when they defeated Georgia Southern, 77-64. They haven’t won a road game since Nov. 15 when they downed the Denver Pioneers, 84-79.

UTSA has played more competitive basketball recently, losing by six to Temple and by 10 to the UAB Blazers in San Antonio last week.

Over the two games, Jamir Simpson has started to shoot the ball at a higher percentage, making 15 of 29 from the field while averaging 16 points.

Transfer Brent Moss also is getting more playing time, averaging 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds against Temple and UAB.

Guard Austin Nunez from San Antonio is averaging 13.4 points and 2.4 assists in conference. The former all-state player at Wagner High School scored in double figures in UTSA’s first eight conference games.

South Florida ranks 10th in the nation and leads the American Conference in scoring offense, averaging 89.5 points. The Bulls are No. 1 in scoring in conference games only at 87.3 points.

Izaiyah Nelson, Wes Enis and Joseph Pinion are the Bulls’ top offensive threats. Nelson averages 15 points and a conference-leading 10 rebounds.

Enis (15 points) and Pinion (14.8) rank as the Bulls top two perimeter scorers. Enis and Pinion have knocked down 146 three pointers between them.

Nelson and Pinion transferred into South Florida from Arkansas State.

Records

UTSA 4-17, 0-9
South Florida 14-8, 6-3

Coming up

UTSA at South Florida, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
North Texas at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Notable

The Bulls are playing under their fourth head coach in four years in Bryan Hodgson, who worked previously at Arkansas State.

After four straight losing seasons under Brian Gregory, South Florida hired Amir Abdur-Rahim, whose first team went 25-8. Abdur-Rahim died in October of 2024 after suffering complications following a medical procedure.

Last season, the Bulls forged ahead with a staff led by interim coach Ben Fletcher, a member of Abdur-Rahim’s staff. Rocked by their coach’s death, the Bulls finished 13-19, including 6-12 in the American.

Hodgson, hired at South Florida last spring, arrived in Tampa having posted records of 20-17 and 25-11 in the last two seasons at Arkansas State.

Last-place UAB women surge past defending champion UTSA

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The last-place UAB Blazers shot 64 percent in a dominant third quarter in Birmingham on Tuesday night and then cruised to an 81-69 victory over the UTSA Roadrunners in American Conference women’s basketball.

Leading by five at the half, UAB (9-13, 2-8) went on an 18-4 run in the first five minutes after halftime and outscored UTSA 27-14 in the third behind the scoring of Cali Smallwood and freshman Sofia Munoz.

In the end, the Blazers’ 81 points represented a season high for a UTSA opponent.

With the win, Randy Norton-coached UAB claimed its second victory in a row and its first in the opening game of the second half of the conference slate. Defense-minded UTSA (10-11, 5-5) yielded 56 percent shooting for the game in losing its second straight.

The defending conference champion Roadrunners, who opened conference play at 3-0, have dropped five of their last seven.

The last two Roadrunners’ losses have come in the last four days. UTSA dropped a 65-55 decision to the first-place Rice Owls on Saturday in San Antonio and then had a quick turnaround for the Tuesday night game in Alabama.

UTSA will play next on Saturday in Oklahoma against the Tulsa Golden Hurricane, an upper-tier team in the conference. The Golden Hurricane (16-6, 8-2) also played Tuesday night and won on the road at Wichita State, 75-65.

“It’s not going to get any easier,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said on the team’s radio broadcast. “I thought that this whole time, that every game was going to be like this, and it’s going to boil down to … ‘How hungry are you?’ and, ‘How bad do you want to win? Does it mean that much to you?’

“I mean, everybody (in the conference) is fighting, just to get in the tournament. You know, maybe we’ve hit a lull. I don’t really know. We looked like maybe we’ve hit a little bit of a wall. We got to figure out how to re-energize ourselves.”

Aston acknowledged that she doesn’t really have an answer on how to get the team to boost its energy level.

“We just don’t look like we have enough gas in our tank right now,” she said.

Forward Molly Moffitt led six UAB players in double figures with 19 points. Smallwood added 15 and Journey Armstead 13. Eleecia Carter scored 12, while Monae’ Duffy and Munoz had 11 apiece.

For UTSA, point guard Ereauna Hardaway produced 17 points and five assists. Forward Cheyenne Rowe added 16, but after halftime, the Roadrunners’ scoring leader was hounded by a collapsing UAB defense and was held to five.

Idara Udo, in her third game back after sitting out six weeks with an injury, scored 12. The Roadrunners shot 41 percent from the field.

Records

UTSA 10-11, 5-5
UAB 9-13, 2-8

Coming up

UTSA at Tulsa, Saturday, 2 p.m.

First half

The Blazers shot 48.1 percent from the field and knocked down five 3-pointers en route to a 32-27 lead on the Roadrunners.

It was a disappointing showing for the Roadrunners, who entered the game in sixth place in the American against the Blazers, who were in last (13th).

Molly Moffitt and guard Eleecia Carter both scored nine points to lead the Blazers. Moffitt connected on four of nine from the field and Carter three of five, all from 3-point distance.

UTSA women to face a UAB team ‘feeling good about themselves’

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By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Fighting through the “dog days” of the American Conference schedule, the UTSA Roadrunners women are looking to find some consistency when they play on the road tonight against the last-place UAB Blazers.

The Roadrunners (10-10, 5-4) tip off against the Blazers (8-13, 1-8) at 6 p.m.

UTSA split two games at home last week, building a double-digit lead against North Texas and then holding on for a 66-64 victory and then playing on even terms for a half against first-place Rice before ultimately falling, 65-55.

“I thought last week was a good week for our team, obviously a good win against North Texas and then kind of equally disappointing against Rice,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “But we’re in the dog days now and we have to turn the page and get to the next game.”

Coach Randy Norton’s Blazers (8-13, 1-8) endured hard times to start their conference schedule with eight straight losses before playing well and winning 83-65 on the road last weekend at Wichita State.

Guard Cali Smallwood scored 25 points in the performance, knocking down seven of 12 shots from 3-point distance.

“Their record is not indicative of how they’ve played,” Aston said. “They had a new team and obviously had to find some chemistry and get used to conference play, so to say. But they had a big win on Saturday, and just to get that one over for them probably gave them a lot of confidence.

“I would think we’ll roll in there with them feeling pretty good about themselves.”

Records

UTSA 10-10, 5-4
UAB 8-13, 1-8

Coming up

UTSA at UAB, Tuesday, 6 p.m.
UTSA at Tulsa, Saturday, 2 p.m.

With a road test looming at South Florida, UTSA’s Claunch brushes off questions about his job

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UTSA coach Austin Claunch. Tulane beat UTSA 85-52 in American Conference men's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA coach Austin Claunch dismisses the idea that he would like to turn the season around so that he can quiet speculation about his job status. Rather, he says he wants it as a reward for his players, who have worked hard enough to deserve it. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

The questions for UTSA men’s basketball coach Austin Claunch keep getting tougher and tougher.

Even though his team played a more competitive brand of ball twice in the past 10 days, the Roadrunners lost twice at home, once by six points to Temple, and then by 10 to UAB, extending a troublesome, program-record losing streak to 14 games.

By the weekend, a story was published in the San Antonio Express-News that suggested his job might not be secure. Claunch, in the second year of a five-year contract, said Monday he wasn’t surprised to be asked about it.

“We’re in a competitive sport,” said the coach, who is 16-36 with the Roadrunners. “We’re at a high level (in the American Conference). Our expectation is to win, especially coming off (our first year). We thought we were really close. Where we were, I think we finished tied for ninth.

“But a lot of those games were in the balance. You felt like you were closer, in the middle of the pack (in the standings). Certainly, we felt like we did things in the offseason that put us in a position to take a step (forward), and so far we haven’t, right.”

After a 12-19 season a year ago, with a 6-12 record in the American, the Roadrunners are currently 4-17 and 0-9, respectively, going into the second half of the conference slate. It’s a nine-game stretch that starts with a road contest against the South Florida Bulls on Wednesday.

“For me, it’s all about figuring out how to improve where you are,” Claunch said. “At the end of the day, when you’ve lost however many we have in a row, and your record is where it is, you deserve to get those questions.

“Trust me, I hope everybody’s frustrated, fans … we want to win. We’re here to win and we’re here to win championships at UTSA. That goal is never going to change. So, that’s certainly still our goal. And, of course, we want that to happen right now.”

Claunch said he doesn’t take being the head coach of the Roadrunners lightly.

“It’s a privilege anywhere you’re a head coach in the country,” he said. “There’s only 365 of these things. So you better have an urgency every time you come in here, to figure out how to take the next step.”

The next step is figuring out how to slow down the high-scoring Bulls, now 14-8 and 6-3, who average a league-best 89 points per game.

Led by first-year coach Bryan Hodgson, the Bulls play a crowd-pleasing style. In conference, they have scored triple figures once, in a 109-106 double-overtime home loss to UAB, and they have twice notched 90 or more in wins at Tulsa and Tulane.

UTSA will travel with the second-longest active losing streak in the nation, but Claunch is a competitor, and he wants more than anything to lead off the second half of the conference slate with a victory.

Asked what it would mean to him, to win at South Florida a few days after he has fielded questions about whether he thinks he’ll be given a chance to return in his job next season, Claunch answered carefully. He said the South Florida game is not about him.

“I don’t think about it in terms of my job security,” Claunch said. “I think about it more for these (players). The way they’ve been working, they certainly deserve to finish the regular season on a high note. The way they’ve worked and continued to fight.

“And so, South Florida, North Texas, East Carolina, Wichita (State), whoever it is, we want to continue to work and win as many games as possible and see where that puts us here in the next nine games. It doesn’t really have anything to do with me.

“We knew that this was a process and we knew that we had an uphill battle. And, certainly, I love to coach. And I’m going to show up and be who I am every single day. Right? And these guys (the players) have done the same thing, which is why we believe their success for this program is right around the corner, in some way, shape or form.

“Whether that’s Wednesday or Saturday, whatever it is, these kids will deserve it, and that’s the biggest thing that I’m focused on and why we continue to work the way we do.”

Records

UTSA 4-17, 0-9
South Florida 14-8, 6-3

Coming up

UTSA at South Florida, Wednesday, 6 p.m.
North Texas at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.

Notable

Last summer, after almost all of his roster entered the transfer portal, Claunch and his staff re-stocked the roster with 10 new scholarship athletes. Vasean Allette, the top player recruited out of the portal, has not played and is out for the year for personal reasons.

Three others, Macaleab Rich, Stanley Borden and Pierce Spencer, have all sat out long stretches of the season with injuries. Rich and Spencer are out for the season. With only half the conference slate to be played, Claunch said it’s possible Borden will be redshirted.

Focusing on ‘TNT,’ the Rice women beat UTSA, extending their winning streak to 14

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Rice Victoria Flores, Hailey Adams. Rice beat UTSA 65-55 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Rice forward Hailey Adams (right) cheers on guard Victoria Flores. While Flores scored 33 points, San Antonio’s Adams supplied 15 rebounds, three assists and two steals. The redshirt junior from Clark High School also hit a clutch fourth-quarter jumper. – Photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Rice Owls women’s basketball coach Lindsey Edmonds stood in the foyer of the UTSA Convocation Center Saturday afternoon, smiling and taking selfies with friends.

A crowd of her program’s supporters lingered in the building where the Owls had just defeated the Roadrunners, 65-55. It was clearly a group of people basking in the glow of a 14-game winning streak, a 19-3 record overall and a 9-0 mark in the American Conference.

Damara Allen. Rice beat UTSA 65-55 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Sophomore Damara Allen led the Roadrunners with 11 points on four of 14 shooting from the field. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Edmomds shrugged off a reporter’s question about how it felt to be riding such a streak and to be unbeaten in conference play at the halfway point of the schedule.

“Our logo for this year, our theme, is TNT,” Edmonds said. “Which is, today, not tomorrow. And I think we just want to take advantage of every day. Every opportunity that we have, we want to be the best versions of ourself.

“I’m not really concerned or worried or even thinking about records or streaks,” she added, “because I’m thinking about how we can be the best version of ourselves today. We were able to come up here and get a win on the road at a place that’s really, really hard to win.

“So, I’m proud of that.”

Rice’s Victoria Flores led her team offensively, scoring 33 points. She was efficient on every level, making eight of 10 shots from the field, four of six from 3-point range and 13 of 14 at the free-throw line.

Meanwhile, a determined defensive effort by the Owls held the Roadrunners to 29 percent shooting and to five points below their season average as a team. As the Roadrunners fell to a 10-10 record on the season and to 5-4 in conference, they were shut down on seven of 36 from the field in the second half.

At one point in a decisive third quarter, the Roadrunners misfired on 12 shots in a row. It’s arguable that the Owls were successful because they were able to expose weaknesses in an offense that sometimes seems too dependent on only a few reliable shooters.

“We have to help them,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “I’ve been saying that. If I had the answers, trust me, I would help them. But we’ve got to figure out how to help those players, and they have to sometimes be comfortable with moving the ball, because they’re not getting the looks they get on certain days.”

As the second half of the conference schedule looms, the Roadrunners are healthier than they were a few weeks ago, but they still have five scholarship players out.

“I know Karen Aston and I know she is an incredible coach,” Edmonds said. “I know that she is coaching them up. I think they’re a tough team. I think they have qualities instilled in them by Karen. Again, they’re going to win a lot of games.

“They’re tough … and they’re stingy on the defensive end. I think she’s still going to do a great job despite having the injuries.”

Guards Damara Allen and Ereauna Hardaway led the Roadrunners offensively, combining for 21 points. Allen finished with a team-high 11 on four of 14 shooting. Hardaway’s 10 points came on a three of nine effort.

Cheyenne Rowe. Rice beat UTSA 65-55 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA scoring leader Cheyenne Rowe produced nine points on three of 11 shooting from the field. She also pulled down eight rebounds. – Photo by Joe Alexander

Forward Cheyenne Rowe, UTSA’s offensive leader, shot three of 11 from the field and finished with nine points and eight rebounds.

A late spark in the game came from freshman guard Adriana Robles, who scored nine off the bench. Robles was four for seven, the only UTSA player to shoot better than 50 percent in the game.

Idara Udo, in her second game back after sitting out more than six weeks with an injury, had a tough day. The 6-foot-1, low-post forward missed all seven shots from the field and scored two.

Records

Rice 19-3, 9-0
UTSA 10-10, 5-4

Coming up

UTSA at UAB, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

First half

In a battle of heavyweights within the American, both the Owls and the Roadrunners pushed the pace in the first half.

Rice took a 31-28 lead at intermission, with Flores scoring 14 points and senior center Shelby Hayes adding nine. The Owls had an advantage with a 12-4 lead in points scored off turnovers.

Notable

UTSA entered the season as the defending conference champions. Last year, the Roadrunners finished 26-5 and 17-1 in the American. The Owls had a hand in dashing their NCAA postseason dreams by beating them 62-58 in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament. After Saturday’s loss, Aston told reporters that she wasn’t thinking about last season.

Flores, a junior from Duncanville, was the talk of the game played in front of 1,172 fans. But Rice forward Hailey Adams also played a major role in the victory. The 6-foot-1 junior from Clark High School produced 15 rebounds, three assists and two steals. She also scored five points, including a big shot in the fourth quarter.

“Hailey Adams does Hailey Adams things, that no one else on our team can do,” Edmonds said. “She fills up the stat sheet in a way that’s really, really impressive. She didn’t make a ton of shots tonight, but she made one in the fourth quarter that was crucial.

“We really needed it in the worst way, and she stepped up and shot that shot with confidence.”

Rice Victoria Flores. Rice beat UTSA 65-55 in American Conference women's basketball on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Rice guard Victoria Flores sank eight of 10 shots from the field and finished with a career-high 33 points in a 65-55 win at the UTSA Convocation Center. – Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA women prepare to host the conference-leading Rice Owls

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Idara Udo. UTSA beat North Texas 66-64 in American Conference women's basketball on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026, at the Convocation Center. - Photo by Joe Alexander

UTSA forward Idara Udo came off the bench for eight points and four rebounds Wednesday in a two-point victory over North Texas. Udo had been out since Dec. 15 with a lower-leg injury. – File photo by Joe Alexander

By Jerry Briggs
Special for The JB Replay

Boosted by the return of forward Idara Udo, the UTSA Roadrunners women will host the Rice Owls on Saturday afternoon, hoping to take down the leaders in the American Conference title race.

On Wednesday, Udo played for the first time since Dec. 15 and provided a steadying influence on the team in holding off the North Texas Mean Green, 66-64.

The 6-foot-1 junior from Plano, who had been sidelined with a lower leg injury, scored eight points and pulled down four rebounds in nine minutes.

“The biggest thing is, she has experience,” UTSA coach Karen Aston said. “Even in those last timeouts, she’s a voice that’s been there and done it before. So I think (it’s) just the confidence that we have in her, because she’s experienced and she understands those moments.”

Another factor is that Udo’s return to active status gives the team 10 scholarship players and the strategic flexibility that another post player provides.

Rice coach Lindsay Edmonds. UTSA women's basketball beat Rice 67-58 in American Athletic Conference action at the Convocation Center on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. - Photo by Joe Alexander

Rice is 18-3 and 8-0 in conference play under Coach Lindsay Edmonds. – File photo by Joe Alexander

Also, it might take some pressure off Cheyenne Rowe, who has led the team all season in scoring and rebounding but has probably had to play more minutes than coaches would like.

“It’s been a challenge rotationally for us,” Aston said. “Having her back allows everybody to sort of stay in their position. It allows Cheyenne to get some breaths.

“But, I also think that in the midst of that, our two young players (Emilia Dannebauer and Sanaa Bean) have gotten better.

“That’s exciting, because if we can get everybody in a rotation and stay healthy, then we have a chance to have an inside game that can be effective. I mean, (Cheyenne) was huge tonight but we just can’t depend on her every night.”

For the Roadrunners, defeating the Owls won’t be easy, even with Udo back in the lineup. Rice has won 13 games in a row and has forged a 16-1 record in its last 17 games.

But in the UTSA camp, players who have been in the program over the past few seasons may have a little more motivation than usual.

In 2024, the Owls entered the American’s postseason event in Frisco as an underdog. The Roadrunners, with forward Jordyn Jenkins returning from injury, were hopeful of winning it after beating the Owls in San Antonio on the last day of the regular season.

As it turned out, fourth-seeded UTSA was ousted in the semifinals by East Carolina, while 10th-seeded Rice was on its way to four straight wins, the conference postseason title and a berth in the NCAA tournament.

Last season, UTSA swept Rice in two games in the regular season en route to a 17-1 record and the American’s regular season championship.

In the tournament, however, the ninth-seeded Owls ended the No. 1 Roadrunners’ NCAA dreams with a 62-58 victory in the quarterfinals.

Even though Rice reached the finals and lost to the South Florida Bulls, the team’s re-formation over the spring and summer proved to be successful.

Rice brought back veterans Dominique Ennis, San Antonio’s Hailey Adams, Aniah Alexis, Victoria Flores and Shelby Hayes.

Ennis, Alexis, Flores and Hayes average double figures in scoring. Adams, a junior from Clark, ranks as one of the nation’s best rebounders. She also leads the Owls in assists.

Adams is coming off a 10-point, 15-rebound effort in a 65-56 win over Temple. She averages 8.3 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 34 minutes.

Records

Rice 18-3, 8-0
UTSA 10-9, 5-3

Coming up

Rice at UTSA, Saturday, 1 p.m.
UTSA at UAB, Tuesday, 6 p.m.

Notable

UTSA had won five straight in the series against its in-state rival before falling to the Owls in last season’s American quarterfinals. In the tournament game at Frisco, Alexis had 15 points and nine rebounds, and Ennis had 13 points and six boards. Flores hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Rice hold on to win. The all-time series is tied 16-16.